bake - May 2019 - 52

foodservice

Sweets
breakfast

From the new Breakfast Cannoli at Piccione Pastry in St. Louis
to the Cinnamon Roll Waffle at Press Waffle Co. in Dallas, successful new product innovations in the foodservice sector are

leaning toward the sweet side. Consider that McDonald's made
national headlines with the rollout of Donut Sticks in February,
and you can see that it's time to explore "sweet" ways to drive
higher traffic into your stores during the breakfast hours.
In honor of its sixth anniversary, St. Louis-based Piccione Pastry
unveiled one-of-a-kind line of breakfast treats, including Break-

SOCIAL MEDIA

and savory breakfast items, including two flavors of Breakfast

MOMENTS

Cannoli inspired by two popular cereals - Cinnamon Toast

Dunkin's Donut Fries

fast Cannoli. Starting April 23, Piccione Pastry offers six sweet

Crunch and Fruit Loops. Piccione's cannoli cream is infused
with cereal milk and topped with cereal bits. The two flavors
will change monthly.

Food and fashion influencer Rebecca Azamolo - 104,778
shares/likes
Video star/foodist Miranda Sings posts that Donut Fries
are the best pregnancy food craving - 93,478 likes/shares

"Our convenient location in the Loop makes us an ideal stop for
the morning crowd," says Colleen McBryan, executive pastry
chef at Piccione Pastry.
Waffles, the nontraditional kind, are another breakfast item

McDonald's Donut Sticks
Andy Kaufman, video star -47,800 likes/shares
Jeffree Star, famous make-up artist - 44,400 shares/likes
SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS FIRM TALKWALKER

gaining popularity in various parts of the country.
Dallas-based Press Waffle Co., which gained a sizeable invest-

"For the past two years, I've really seen an uptick in waffle

ment for national expansion following an appearance on ABC's

popularity. People know the product, they travel a lot, they go

Shark Tank, has fused two popular breakfast foods, cinnamon roll

online, they call each other, and it has become more known,"

and waffle, into the new Cinnamon Roll Waffle - a Leige waffle

says Michel Chalon, the company's founder.

topped with gooey cinnamon glaze and cream cheese frosting.
launched Donut Sticks in February. But Dunkin' started the

waffles made with dough instead of battler, giving them a

donut-wars battle in 2018 by launching convenient Donut Fries

brioche-like texture, and sweetened with pearl sugar.

as a limited-edition item. Even if Dunkin's fries had a short shelf
life, according to social media analytics firm Talkwalker, their

Similarly, another retailer, Le Waf uses yeasted dough instead

social media impact was significant during the launch months.

of batter to make its brioche-style waffles and folds pearl sugar

Massive paid influencer support generated impressive traffic

into the dough to create a caramelized, crunchy texture. Euro

for the product launch, while McDonalds Donut Sticks are until

Snack was created in Monterey, California, where the company

now less present on social media. Dunkin's Donut Fries gener-

first offered freshly baked Le Waf waffles out of a pushcart at a

ated 25,900 mentions and a strong 708,000 engagements in

farmer's market. Since 2004, Euro Snack has operated a dozen

the past 13 months, according to Talkwalker while McDonald's

retail locations around Lake Tahoe, where the company serves

recently launched Donut Fries grossed only 9,900 mentions

the popular Le Waf artisan waffles.

but strong 306,200 engagements.

52 < MAY 2019 | bakemag.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF PICCIONE PASTRY

Driven by the urge to revamp its breakfast menu, McDonald's
With three locations in Texas, Press Waffles specializes in Liege

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